When I was young, I was quite the avid little reader. I dove headfirst into books, unafraid of their length or complexity. I read Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and yes, even Dante Alighieri as translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Although my imagination ran wild with the images these books provided, I would call it a stretch at the least to say that I would ever dream of the possibility that any one of the books I so loved could be translated to video game form.

Thankfully, “Dante’s Inferno” has assuaged (some) of my fears.

Let’s get this out of the way first, because I know it’s what’s on everyone’s mind: Is “Dante’s Inferno” a “God of War” clone? Well, the answer is both yes and no. The term “clone” carries a very negative connotation, when I don’t think that need be the case.

Yes, the similarities are blatant and obvious, from over-the-top boss fights dominated by quicktime events and action sequences so sick they might as well be carrying the bubonic plague to the repetitious button mashing combat and gratuitous violence. But does that automatically negate the entire title?

More on that question later. Right now, I want to go back to what I just mentioned — the combat.

The combat is varied and fast-paced, and every enemy requires a different tactic. For example, pagan witches have a barrier that blocks Dante’s cross, so projectile attacks aren’t an option. Fire shades can’t be destroyed until you’ve hit them with a projectile and finished them with a melee attack.

There’s plenty more, but you get the idea. I won’t spoil the other enemies; more than half the fun is watching them make their entrances.

Unfortunately, if more than half of the fun is the introduction, that doesn’t bode well for the rest of your time with your new friend.

There are only so many fresh faces to bump into down in Hell, and things start getting pretty repetitive and bland in terms of enemy design after the circle of Greed. Sure the tactics to combat them will change slightly, but more than likely you’ll end up using the same four or five combos to dispatch the same four or five denizens of Hell.

Apparently Lucifer’s got higher priorities than making his footmen look cool. Who knew?

While enemy design may grow a bit stale, level design is consistently impressive. The first half of the game treks through some very interesting, visceral, and freshly imaginative depictions of circles like Lust and Greed, while the second half of the game heads back to the Renaissance and Gustave Doré’s engravings for inspiration.

I’m totally fine with this. In fact, it’s nice to see a more classical depiction for the City of Dis and Lake Cocytus when the introductory levels are so drastically reimagined they seem like they’re trying a little too hard to be different.

But unlike Alighieri’s original musings, which linger and simmer in the mind for days, weeks, years. The circles in EA’s rendition of “Dante’s Inferno” are over so quickly and the narrative is delivered in such a rushed fashion that it’s all over and forgotten with before you know what’s happened. This is really unfortunate because – as morbid as it sounds – the Hell in Dante’s Inferno is so visually unique and captivating I wanted to see more. Just as I was starting to think how cool or engaging a level or fight was, it was done and behind me.

Let me give you an example. You know that big three-headed worm thing you’ve seen in a lot of the previews, right? That’d be Cerberus, guardian of the circle of Gluttony. With such a large and interesting boss, you might think he’d be at the end of the level, right? Wrong. He’s the boss at the beginning of the level, and the end-level “boss” is just a new enemy type you’ll see later on popping up in some of the endurance trials combat can resort to.

In other words, the designs are all there. Levels and enemies are – for the most part – unique and visually engaging, and succeeded in making me uncomfortable, as Hell should do. But the implementation of these designs could’ve been handled in a better, more impactful manner. (And speaking of impact, I can almost guarantee that at some point in the game, you will scream, “The power of Christ compels you!”)

The story addresses – or maybe I should say touches on, then quickly scampers away from – Christian mythology and history, focusing on Dante’s history as a crusader and the sins he has committed during his life. There are hints and accusations of hypocrisy and wickedness thrown into the mix of things, but the game itself never seems to be making too bold of a statement.

Still, I wonder how a Christian-minded player would receive the game. Perhaps it would stir a bit deeper within them than it did for me.

The sounds of “Dante’s Inferno” are stirring, with the monstrous shrieks and squeals of monsters and screaming of the damned haunting your eardrums nigh-constantly.

While one might think this would get old after awhile, you never really get used to hearing an unbaptized baby cry in wretched pain or the countless tortured souls crying in vain for salvation and forgiveness. In short: when you think about it, the game can be very unsettling.

The voice-acting is adequate, though not particularly spectacular. Again, the narrative has been so rushed that it’s hard to get a good grasp on who the characters are and how they should sound or what makes them unique other than their design. The soundtrack is similar: adequate, but nothing noteworthy – no pun intended.

Is “Dante’s Inferno” a “God of War” rip-off/clone/copycat/whatever-you-wanna-call-it? Yeah, I won’t deny that. But does it still have its own unique set of problems distinctly its own? Sure. It’s short, repetitious, textures are a little flat at times, etc.

But unlike “God of War”, at least I give a damn – pun definitely intended that time – about the main character. He’s got motivation and a purpose. He’s a respectable character; flawed and imperfect, but overall likable.

“Dante’s Inferno” tried. I can respect that, and I’m glad I played it. I’m just not so happy I paid $60 to do so.

This column appears courtesy of Sophie Prell’s blog, “G3 — A Girl’s Guide to Gaming.”

Sophie Prell is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Alta.